Casing for cocks and hydrants



(No Model.)

P. GONNOLLY.

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U iT-nn STATES FATE 'r rricn,

PATRICK CONNOLLY, OF BROOKLYN, NEWV YORK.

CASING FOR COCKS AND HYDRANTS.

.JPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 313,060, dated March 3, 1885.

Application filed June 6, 1884. (No model.)

Be it known that I, PATRICK CoNNoLLY, a Y

citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Brooklyn, county of Kings,and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Casings for Cocks and Hydrants, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

In order to enable the water departments of those cities and towns in which water is supplied to the houses through service-pipes connected with a system of mains to have complete control of the system, it is customary to provide the service-pipe leading from the main to each house with. a cock,by which the water,

can be shut off from the house when for. any reason it is desired to do so; and in order to obviate the necessity'of taking up the pavement or sidewalk and digging down to the pipe, whenever it is desired to operate this cock it is customary to provide the cock with a stem or rod extending upward to the surface of the pavement or sidewalk, so that by applying a key to it at that point the cock can be operated. It is also in many cases desirable to provide the service-pipe with a hydrant, from which water can be drawn for use in case of fire, or for Washing the sidewalk, or for otherpurposes; and itis also customary, in order to prevent the freezing and bursting of the hydrant, to locate the cock for controlling the same at its junction with the service-pipe, or at least at a considerable distance under the sidewalk, and in this case also the rod or stem of the cock extends upward to the surface of the pavement or sidewalk, so that a key can be applied at that point for operating the cock. In either of these cases it is necessary that the rod or stem of the cock should be inclosed in some sort of casing, and the best casing for. this purpose has been found to be a piece of metal pipe.

It will be readily seen that when the apparatusis arranged in this manner it is necessary that the metal pipe or other casing which surrounds the rod or stem of the cock should be provided at its top with some sort of cover which will prevent dirt or other matter from falling into and accumulating in the casing, so

as to prevent the proper operation of the cock, and also that it is desirable that the end of the rod or stem of the cock to which the key is applied should be sunk sufficiently below the sidewalk or pavement to afford no obstruction. To effect this it has been customary to provide the upper end of the pipe or other casing which incloses the rod or stem of the cock with an iron box,which is set into the pavement so that its top is just flush therewith, and into which extends the end of the rod or stem of the cock, the box thus arranged forming not only a cover for the casing, but also a means of protecting the end of the rod or stem to which the key is applied in operating the cock.

It will readily be seen from the foregoing that in placing an apparatus of this character in position it is necessary to cut the pipe which incloses the rod or stem of the cook to exactly the proper length to bring the top of the box flush with the surface of the pavement, and also to make the stem of the cock of exactly the proper length to extend the proper distance into the box, and this makes it necessary to make a careful measurement for each individual ease, as it rarely happens that two service-pipes are or can conveniently be placed exactly -the same distance below the surface of the sidewalk or pavement.

Another difficulty in using boxes thus con structed arises from the fact that the box and the casing of the cock-stem are rigidly connected together, so that whenever the pavement is disturbed by the action of frost the box is either drawn below the surface of the pavement or the parts broken away from each other by the strain. It also frequently happens that the pavement surrounding the box settles, so as to leave the top of the box extending above the pavement, thus making an annoying obstruction, or that in repairing or relaying the pavement the workmen fail to place it at exactly the original height, so that the box will be either sunk below of left projecting above the surrounding pavement.

It is the object of the present invention to obviate these difficulties; and to that end the invention consists in so constructing the box which is used to surround and inclose the upsame 'box.

per end of the cock-stem or the hydrant-nozzle, or both, that its sides may be extended, so

tical cross-section of the same,taken upon the line 0'0 x of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the same,taken upon the line 7 9 of Fig. 2.

In the construction illustrated in the present case the service-pipe is provided with two cocks, one of which is for controlling the sup- ,ply of water allowed to pass from the main to the building and the other for controlling a hydrant, the rods or stems of both of these cocks being surrounded by tubular casings or pipes which terminate at the bottom of the It is to be understood, however, that the invention is equally applicable to those cases where the hydrant is omitted, or where the hydrant alone is used, the cock controlling the supply of water to the building being omitted. g

' Referring to said figures, it is to be understood that 2 is the rod or stem of the cock controlling the supply of water to the building; 3, the tubular casing or pipe surrounding and protecting the same; 4, the rod or stem of the cock for controlling the supply of water to the.

hydrant; and 5, the tubular casing or pipe protecting. said stem, and also affording means for conducting the water to the surface of the ground and to the nozzle 6 of the hydrant, as

shown in my former Letters Patent No. 202,793. The casings 3 5 pass through the bottom 7 of the box, and are secured thereto by means of janrnuts 8 9. The stems 2 4 of the cocks passthrough small openings in said nuts 9, and extend upward into the box a suf ficient distance to permit a suitable key to be applied to their ends 10 to operate the cookswhen desired, the stem 4, however, passing through a suitable stuffing-box to prevent any leakage of the water passing to the hy- .dran't-nozzle. The top of the box consists of ametal frame, 11, which is provided with a flange, 12, which rests upon the top of the pavement or sidewalk, and with a suitable hinged cover, 13, by which access can be gained to the box when it is desired to operate the cook or cocks. The frame 11 is provided at two sides with downwardly-projecting portions '14, having recesses, in which rest upw'ardly-projecting arms 15, secured to the ends of the bottom 7, and made capable of being secured to the portions 14 in different positions by means of set-screws 16, which pass through slots in the portions14 andbear against washers 17, located upon the inside of the box. By means of this construction it will readily be seen that after the service-pipe has been laid, and the tubular casings or pipes 3 5, or either of them, connected thereto and to the bottom 7 of the box, so as to hold the latter firmly in position, the top 11 of the box can be-placed in position and made to conform with the surface of the pavement, even though the casings 8 5 have not been cut to exactly the proper length, and'also, even if any change in the pavement takes place afterward, the top of the box can be readily adjusted to conform therewith without any necessity of disturbing the remaining parts. By loosening the screws 16 slightly the top 11 can be left free to move up 'and down, so that any disturbance of the pavement by frost will not affect or disar range in the slightest degree the other parts of the'appa'r'atus'.

hat I claim is 1. The combination, with a cock-stem, as '2 Q or 4, and the tubular casing thereof, of abox or casing for inclosing and protecting the upper end of said stem, and means for adjusting the top of the said box with relation to its bottom, substantially as described.

' 2. In abox or casing for protecting the cockope'rating apparatus of a water-pipe, the coinbination, withthe frame 11, provided with down wardly-extending portions 14, of the bottom 7, p rovided with upward-extending portio'n's15, and means for securing said parts together at different distances from each other, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with the cock-stem and its casing, of a box for inclosing the top of said stem and easing, said box having adj use able sides, and the jam-nuts 8 9, for securing said box to the top of said casing, substan ti'ally as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set myhand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

I PATRICK OO NNOLLY.

Vitnessesi V J. A. HoovEY,

T. H. PALMER. 

